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Chapter 6

The document discusses watershed management approaches and treatment methods. It outlines how watershed degradation occurs due to natural and human factors like soil erosion, changes in farming, overgrazing, deforestation, and pollution. Watershed management aims to improve land and water management, increase resource productivity, improve environmental services, and address technical, institutional, and policy issues. Common watershed management approaches include using micro-watersheds as management units, combining conservation and livelihood objectives, and applied research approaches. Treatment methods include land, irrigation, and soil and water conservation measures.

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32 views

Chapter 6

The document discusses watershed management approaches and treatment methods. It outlines how watershed degradation occurs due to natural and human factors like soil erosion, changes in farming, overgrazing, deforestation, and pollution. Watershed management aims to improve land and water management, increase resource productivity, improve environmental services, and address technical, institutional, and policy issues. Common watershed management approaches include using micro-watersheds as management units, combining conservation and livelihood objectives, and applied research approaches. Treatment methods include land, irrigation, and soil and water conservation measures.

Uploaded by

Tolera Tamiru
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Integrated River basin Management

Chapter 6
Watershed Management Approaches
and treatment methods
Prepared By: Eliyas A. (MSc)

2019
Watershed Degradation
 Watershed degradation is the long-term reduction of the
quantity and quality of land and water resources.

 Degradation results from a range of natural and anthropogenic


factors, including

soil erosion,

 Changes in farming systems,

 overgrazing,

 deforestation, and

 pollution
Cont……..
 The main negative impacts of watershed deterioration are:
 Depletion of soil productivity,

 Sedimentation of water courses, reservoirs and coasts,

 Increased runoff and flash flooding,

 Reduced infiltration to groundwater, and

 Water quality deterioration.


Cont……..

 Institutional and socioeconomic factors driving natural


resource degradation:

 Market failure

 Policy failure

 Institutional failure

 Implementation failure

 Population growth

 Poverty
Watershed Management
 Watershed management is the integrated use of land,
vegetation, and water in a geographically discrete drainage
area, with the objective of protecting or conserving the
hydrologic services and reducing or avoiding negative
downstream or groundwater impacts.

 Watershed management approaches need to be adapted


to the local situation and alternatives may need to be
considered.
Cont……..
 A typical watershed management program is thus likely to
aim at the following:
 Improving the management of land and water, and their
interactions and externalities
 Increasing the intensity and productivity of resource use in the
upland area
 Improving environmental services and reducing negative
externalities for downstream areas
 Addressing technical, institutional, and policy issues needed
Cont……..
Watershed Management Approaches and treatment
methods:
1. Scale of intervention

 Watershed management programs generally adopt


the micro-watershed as the basic management unit,
since this allows the integration of land, water, and
infrastructure development and the inclusion of all
stakeholders in a participatory process
Cont……..
2. The combination of conservation and livelihoods objectives,

 Watershed management approach can, under the right


circumstances, achieve both sustainable soil and water
conservation and the intensification of resource use
needed to improve stakeholders’ livelihoods.
 Restricting access to forests or rangeland will only work
when all users, and especially the poor, have access to
alternative income-generating activities.
Cont……..
3. Applied research approaches.

 The purpose of landscape planning is to develop


conservation management strategies that:
 Respond to scientific understanding of natural systems

 Link to sustainable community development

 Adaptive to changing societal conditions and values.


Watershed treatment measures
 Land treatment measures which bind the soil and
increase infiltration rates on areas of degraded
land can be effective in reducing the amount of run-off.

 A wide variety of structural and non-structural options


may be employed to achieve one or both of the following:
 To control or to rehabilitate land degradation,

 To control or mitigate the occurrence of water-based natural


disasters.
Cont……..
 The structural approaches comprise a number of small and
relatively low-cost mechanical devices whose function is:
 To reduce run-off rates or volumes,

 To control or retard overland flow or to give protection against


erosive or scouring forces.

 The non-structural measures comprise a variety of farming,


cropping and cultivation techniques whose purposes are:
 To maintain a protective vegetative cover,

 To increase infiltration and to impede overland flow.


Cont……..
 Utilizing a combination of structural and nonstructural
measures in an integrated fashion is necessary to achieve
optimal management results.
Watershed treatment measures for Irrigation

 On existing irrigation areas there are many non-structural


and structural measures which can be taken to maintain
sustainability of production and avoid the development of
land degradation problems.
Cont……..
 Appropriate land management techniques and land-use
controls in irrigation areas might include:
 The restriction of crop types

 The use of water application techniques

 The introduction of improved land preparation techniques

 Changing where necessary to alternative irrigation methods

 Ensuring that adequate leaching practices are employed

 Improving irrigation distribution systems and water ordering


Cont……..
 Structural measures that might be undertaken to control
irrigation salinity problems include:
 Installation of adequate surface drainage systems to provide for
effective disposal of excess water’

 Installation of adequate sub-surface drainage facilities to maintain


appropriate water table depths.

 The installation groundwater pumping networks to control


groundwater accumulation.

 Provision for safe disposal of drainage waters


Soil and Water Conservation measures

 There are various types of soil and water conservation


interventions to be applied based on Agro-ecological
zone, soil depth, drainage, texture, slope and land use/land
cover. The following soil and water conservation
categories have been proposed for the integrate
watershed management: (Reading assignment)
 Agronomic practice,
 Biological soil and water conservation practices,
 Physical soil and water conservation practices,

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